Finding Halves
by Ramoning-Along
Summary: Finding your "Other Half" has never been harder. Especially if your Hermione Granger.


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Author's Note(s): _This is my first fan fiction, so please enjoy and leave a review. Criticism is not only greatly encouraged, but accepted (Although, sometimes too personally). Yes, I am aware of the fact that I've made the characters somewhat not themselves. I'm just writing them the way I feel they would respond to certain events that take place (book five). By the way, sorry for any grammatical errors. I've looked over the story a few times, but I highly doubt I found every one._

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Disclaimer(s): _Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Norman Bates and Marion Crane are from Hitchcock's Psycho, and obviously are not mine. The song "Clouds" is by Hole, and the song "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" is by Wang Chung. I make no prophet what so ever from this. If I did, I'd have started writing long ago._

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Summary: _Growing up has never been harder for Hermione Granger. With Voldermont on the rise, and a constant search for her "Other Half"; how will she ever survive her sixth year of Hogwarts?_

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Finding _Halves_

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The sun beat down heavily on Hermione's skin as she lay on the bright green grass of her backyard. Overhead fluffy white clouds in shapes of bunnies and ice-cream cones floated about lazily, each glittering with silver linings. Hermione shut her eyes and rolled onto her back, thin arms coming to rest over her face to block out the sun. It was strange, really, the way the neighborhood buzzed with life around her. A sinking feeling nestled itself in her stomach, slowly expanding all over her being as she pondered over the years pasts events.

A light breeze blew by, making the overgrown grass tickle her bare legs. Reaching down she quickly scratched her knee before turning onto her side. From here she had a clear view of the back porch. Through the sliding glass doors she could see her mom vacuuming around the sofa, strains of Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" floating through the thin windows. Hermione sighed, and began to pick at a small patch of clovers. What was Wang Chung talking about when they said "everybody Wang Chung tonight"? What was Wang Chunging anyway? Hermione quickly pushed the thought aside and resumed her picking.

Since school had ended she had often wondered what would happen if Death Eaters were to storm her house at any moment. She knew it was a terrible thing to think, but she couldn't help it. At night-when sleep was hard to find, and counting sheep just didn't cut it -she'd lie and think about surprise attacks and the night she'd spent at the Ministry of Magic. She'd estimated how many Death Eaters she could take down before she, too, was taken down. The thought of what they would do to her, or her parents, made her stomach turn.

"Hermione," Her mother called out the window, phone pressed close to her ear. "Can you come in and give me a hand?"

Hermione lazily raised her hand in response. She knew that now that her life was in danger she was suppose to change her outlook on life, but she didn't feel up to it. Rising slowly she lazily made her way towards the house. The short trudge up the back steps seemed to take an eternity, and by the time she'd entered the house her mother was nowhere to be found. Falling heavily onto the overstuffed cream couch Hermione let out a long and tired sigh. The days of Summer were dragging by too slowly for her taste, and worry over Harry was steadily increasing with each unanswered letter.

Running a frustrated hand through her hair Hermione mentally cursed Harry for not responding to her letters. She knew he needed time, but she would think that after a month of being out of touch with his friends that he'd just write a quick _Hello_, or _I'm thinking of flinging myself off a bridge_. At least then she'd know he was alive and well (Albeit, not for a long period of time, but _still_). Come to think of it, she hadn't heard much from Ron either. Except, of course, for a mention of him here and there from the many letters she received a week from Ginny. However, those were always short and were more along the lines of _Ron the git_, or _Can't believe that prat brother of mine._

"Hermione," Her father called from the kitchen. "Come here please."

Pushing herself off the couch she quickly walked into the gleaming white kitchen. Her gaze quickly landed on her parents, both sitting at the rectangular dinning table looking determined. Her mother's hair was pulled back in a loose bun, and when she caught Hermione's eyes she smiled tightly. Sitting herself opposite her father she looked oddly at her parents.

"Is there anything wrong?" Hermione asked slowly, unsure if she should ask anything at all. Her father sighed and drummed his fingers on the table, sending an expectant glance at her mother.

"Not _really_," Her mother answered, hands resting together on the table. "We just wanted to talk to you, is all."

"Oh."

"You see," Her father stated in his low baritone. "We've noticed a steady change in you since you've started Hogwarts. Each year you become more and more distant. You come back a wreck, and often wake your mother and I up at night with your screaming. Is there something going on at this school of yours that we should know about?"

"No," Hermione answered quickly, shaking her head to emphasize. _No, only an evil wizard out to kill your best friend, _a nasty voice whispered harshly in the back of her mind. _And maybe you, too._

Her mother sighed and reached across the table to take her hand. "You know you can tell us anything, right?"

"I know," Hermione forcefully grinned. _No, I can't. _"It's just that Harry's had such a hard life and this past year has been really hard for him. Everyone, really."

"Enough," Her father growled. "We asked how you were, _not_ Harry. I'm tired of hearing about him. For once, I'd like to hear about how my _daughter_ is doing."

"Dad," Hermione snapped, pulling her hand from her mother's grasp and crossing her arms. "Harry happens to be my best friend. It's only natural that the problems he has become mine."

"I don't care. I don't want his name mentioned under this roof again. Do you _understand_?"

Hermione stood up quickly, her chair falling back onto the tiled floor with a clatter. No, she didn't understand. Her mother's eyes darted between Hermione and her father, and it took all of Hermione's strength to not explode at her father right then.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, tight lipped. "But I'm afraid I don't understand. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room." And with that she quickly turned on her heels and dashed up the stair and down the hall to her bedroom, ignoring her father's angry yells. With a soft and resounding click she locked her door and fell onto her bed. A dull numbness had overtaken most her body, and she jerked up awkwardly when there was a tentative knock on the door.

"Sweets?" Her mother's timid voice asked. "Can I come in?"

Hermione folded her arms across her chest and glared at the door. "No."

"Hermione Jane," Her mother said forcefully, jiggling the doorknob. "Open this door right now, or so help me God…"

"No," Hermione repeated. The rational side of her knew this was wrong. That she should open the door, apologize to both her parents, and tell them everything. However, being the stubborn witch she was, Hermione only placed her desk chair against the door-just in case. With that she quickly stripped down to her undergarments and climbed into bed, only to be plagued by nightmares.

The next few days passed by uneventfully. Neither Hermione nor her parents mentioned the argument regarding Harry, and settled on dancing around one another tight lipped and awkward. The tension in the house continued to build, and Hermione-more out of curiosity than anything-often wandered into the kitchen and stared at her fathers cutting knives, knowing that one day she'd actually try to cut the tension even though she knew it was just a figure of speech.

On this particular day; however, both her parents had to work late, and the house was ghostly quiet. Hermione quickly gathered her hair into a ponytail and set about packing for Hogwarts. The new school year didn't start for two more weeks, but Hermione was particularly eager to reach King's Cross this year. After all her clothes was neatly stacked in the corners, and books shoved tight together, Hermione shut her trunk and wandered down the stairs. The kitchen light shinned brightly overhead as Hermione made her way towards the refrigerator. From the corner of her eye the phone caught her attention and Hermione slowly walked towards it, feet heavy.

The padded numbers felt slippery under her fingers as she dialed the number she'd permanently burned to memory. Butterflies quickly found their way inside her stomach, and it took all the courage she had not to hang up after two rings. Suddenly, there was a soft click and Hermione's breath caught in her throat as a familiar voice filled her senses.

"Dursley's Escort Service. We've got birds for every occasion. Blondes, brunettes, and-for you _brave_ adventurers-red heads."

"BOY!"

Hermione could almost hear the smirk on Harry's lips as the phone was ripped from his hands, and Vernon sent him up the stairs to his room. Without realizing it, Hermione slowly relaxed, her hold on the phone loosening. A wave of relief washed over her, making her dizzy with delight. Harry was ok. He was safe, and she knew it because she'd heard his voice. A shaky grin broke across her face as her knees gave out, and she slid to the floor. She barely noticed the calls of _Hello?_ from the phone as she reached up and placed it on the counter.

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Hermione sat cross-legged on the over stuffed couch, a lukewarm cup of coffee held firmly between her hands. The Weasleys would arrive in an hours time to pick her up and take her to the Burrow. Until then, she was left to entertain herself in front of the tv. Currently, some women was running around on screen, her blonde hair bouncing to and fro. Hermione sighed and looked down at the cup in her hands. Earlier she'd gotten into an argument with her mother for not being completely honest with her parents.

Her mother, being the concerned women she was, had gone through Hermione's belongings (Not so discreetly may I add, which resulted in lots of yelling.) and found a lengthy letter Ginny had written her at the beginning of the year. Ginny had included her feelings towards Sirius' death, and various feelings she'd felt while at the Ministry of Magic. Hermione had been forced to tell her mother about Sirius' death and her adventures at the Ministry; although, she did dance around important details-such as her near death experience. In the end, her mother had lectured her none too nicely, and Hermione could only glare at her retreating back once she had finished and left.

Reaching up a tentative hand, Hermione ran her fingers through her now shoulder length hair. It hadn't turned out exactly how she'd liked, and when she'd come downstairs her mother had a right fit. Her mother had always loved her hair, and it made Hermione all the much happier to know that the scissors and excess hair was still in the sink of the guest bathroom. _Take that, _Hermione thought sourly, a small grin gracing her tired face. A large crash from her parents room startled Hermione. Her coffee fell to the floor, slowly seeping into the light carpet.

"Oh dear," Hermione murmured softly, as heavy footsteps made their way downstairs. She turned just in time to see a small red headed girl launching herself towards her. "Ginny!"

The hug was tight, and Ginny babbled nonstop about what she'd done so far during the Summer. Hermione only smiled back and nodded every so often. She heard an impatient sigh as Ginny began the retelling of Luna's latest letter, and looked up to see a bleary eyed Ron. He simply grinned at her and shook his head.

"Ron," She said, somewhat breathless. He'd grown several inches over the Summer. His hair-still bright-had taken on a life of its own, and his freckles had faded somewhat. He was still unbelievably lanky, and as he pulled Hermione into a hug she couldn't help but fight back tears. She hadn't really realized until now how much she'd missed her friends this Summer.

"Don't cry," Ron winced as he pulled away from her. "You know I can't handle girls crying."

"I'm sorry," Hermione answered, choking on a sob. "It's just that I've missed you so much. Both of you." With that, fresh tears sprung forth and she continued to wipe at them fruitlessly.

The floo back to the Burrow was slightly unpleasant, as Hermione had banged her elbow when she'd tumbled out of the fire place. Once she'd arrived Mrs. Weasley had hurriedly ushered her into the kitchen for a "chat"; Ginny tagging along. Once all three women had taken their seats Molly set about preparing tea and making idle conversation.

"Great Wizards, Dear!" She exclaimed halfway through Ginny's Quidditch tale. "What have you done to your hair?"

"Oh, _that_," Hermione grinned shakily. "I got into an argument with my mum, see? And the thing is, she really loved my hair. So…" She trailed off uncertainly, and instead finished lamely by snapping her middle and index finger together in a scissor motion.

"Well, no worries," Molly smiled brightly, pulling out her wand. "I can have your hair back in a jiffy."

"NO! I mean, no. It's ok, _really_. I've grown rather fond of it."

Ginny snickered, Molly sighed, and Hermione quietly excused herself. She couldn't hide her irritation as she stormed into the living room and threw herself forcefully onto the sunken couch. Sighing in frustration she ran a shaky hand through her wiry hair and crossed her arms against her chest. So what if she wasn't exactly attractive with her new hair cut? It wasn't as if she was trying to impress anyone; besides, she really did prefer her hair short.

"Hermione?" Ron asked uncertainly, chess game momentarily forgotten. "Knut?"

"What?" Hermione responded somewhat distracted. "Oh, nothing's wrong. Just a little miffed is all. Who's winning?"

The night continued on uneventfully, and as Hermione tucked herself into the lumpy sleeping bag on Ginny's floor she couldn't wait for morning to come. Arthur and the twins were to pick Harry up at noon, and Hermione couldn't be more nervous to see him. As she drifted off to an uneasy sleep she couldn't help a small smile from tugging at the corner of her lips.

The morning came too soon in Hermione's opinion as she begrudgingly climbed out of the sleeping bag. Her hair stuck up in odd angles, and her vision was still a tad blurry as she made her way downstairs and towards the smell of freshly cooked bacon. The table, half full of Weasleys, had every breakfast dish imaginable, and it took all of Hermione's self control not to drool on the spot. As she sat down she quickly pulled a bowl of fresh fruit towards her, taking no notice of the odd stares she received from the twins.

"What happened?" Fred asked bemused as Hermione bit into an apple. She looked at him, somewhat startled, and shrugged.

"To what?" Was her reply as she scooped hash browns onto her mismatched plate.

"Your hair!" George answered, eyes wide. Hermione sighed and reached up to tug a protruding curl back into place.

"Cut it after an argument with my Mum."

Breakfast continued on quite normally after that, except for the odd glance every now and then at Hermione's new hairstyle. It was beginning to bug her, the way everyone was reacting to a simple haircut. _You would think they had better things to do_, Hermione thought none too kindly as Arthur announced his departure to Grimmauld Place. Being as stubborn as she was, Hermione ignored Ginny for the rest of the day for the rude comment she'd made about her hair late last night, and instead allowed herself to be defeated in chess numerous times. During her fifth game with Ron (There's only so much an already bruised ego could take) there was a large commotion in the kitchen, startling all members of the house. Ron, with Hermione hot on his heels, dashed to see what could be causing so much noise.

The kitchen door resounded with a loud BANG! as it swung unsteadily on its hinges. Arthur and a few of The Order members stood around with grave expressions of their faces. Save for Fletcher, who looked mildly surprised, and was nursing what was sure to be a black eye. Through the grime covered window on the back door Hermione could scarcely make out a black haired figure stalking angrily to the forest that lined the Weasley's property. Without a moments hesitation she quickly passed the startled crowd and ran after Harry. Ron made to follow, but his father held him back, head shaking.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled as she got closer. He didn't bother to turn, and instead picked up his pace. Giving a frustrated sigh, she too picked up the pace. He wasn't making this easy, and if he didn't stop soon Hermione was just going to give up. Her body wasn't up for anything this physical. With a primal grunt Hermione launched herself at Harry with every once of adrenaline she had. Unfortunately, she lost her footing once she'd neared Harry and sent them both tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs and bruises.

"Ow," Hermione moaned as she rolled off of Harry. Her head hit the ground with a soft thunk, and Harry turned stone cold eye on her.

"Why'd you do that?" He growled. Hermione involuntarily shivered. This wasn't her Harry.

"Do you think I liked it?" Hermione snapped back. "I've got a bruise the size of Lockhart's ego. Thanks to you, might I add."

"No one asked you to come after me, ok?" Harry retorted, slowly rising to stand up. He looked down at Hermione, who was still lying on the ground, her heart trying to function normally and failing. "Just leave me alone."

She watched his retreating back as she sat up. Scowling as he turned to her, an impish smirk on his face, and said "Nice hair." before continuing on his way. _The little bugger, _Hermione thought as she made her way towards the Weasley's house. Who did Harry think he was? Certainly not the Prime Minister! Still fuming, Hermione made her way into the now crowded kitchen.

"How is he?" Ron asked as Hermione slid into a lopsided chair beside him.

"He's a right git, is what."

Someone cleared their throat at the head of the table, and Hermione was surprised to see Dumbledore standing there in pale blue robes looking somewhat solemn. He nodded to each person in the room before asking all of them to give Harry room. _Not bloody likely, _Hermione's mind snapped. A look of determination crossed her face, going unnoticed by all members of the kitchen.

It wasn't until suppertime that Harry came back to the Burrow, and was ushered away by Molly to see Dumbledore. Hermione could faintly hear yelling from her seat, and the adults-having realized this-talked as loudly as they could about unimportant matters. Soon; however, there was no need as Harry's angry footsteps clonked heavily downstairs. There was a slight shuffle in the living room before Harry burst into the kitchen, not bothering to acknowledge anyone, and headed straight for the back door.

"Where are you going?" Dumbledore asked as he appeared in the kitchen entrance. Hermione's head swam as Harry glared at Dumbledore. She'd never seen that look on Harry's face before, and it scared her.

"Out," Was his simple answer. Dumbledore sighed and repeated the question. "Out. Jeez, do you want a bleeding map or something? How about I ring you every five minutes to let you know that I'm not piss faced in some alleyway?"

Hermione brought her hands to rest in her lap, eyes prickling with tears as the door resounded with another BANG! No, this wasn't her Harry at all. Her Harry was nice, and kind. He cared for others, and this boy she saw before her, well, he was just an imposter. And he scared her. He seemed messy, mean, and horrible and he made Hermione want to run and hide.

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The train ride was tense and silent, and Hermione couldn't take another minute of it. Harry had left the compartment and hour ago claiming he "needed fresh air". Luna had come in shortly after saying she'd spotted Harry smoking near the boy's washroom. This had only led to an argument between Ginny and Ron, leaving her with a headache and he with a bruised lip. Now, they both sat as far away from one another as possible in the small compartment, neither one speaking to the other save for the occasional _Hermione, tell my brother he's a worthless pile of dragon droppings, _to which Ron would respond _Hermione, tell my puny, runt of a sister that I'm cutting all ties with her._

The compartment door slid open, and Hermione saw this as her chance to escape the choking atmosphere that was Ginny and Ron. Poor Neville barely knew what hit him as Hermione dragged him back into the hall to "look for the food cart", which had passed by their compartment ten minutes ago. Needless to say, Hermione was forced to buy pumpkin pastries for Neville as a token of forgiveness. Which he did rather eagerly as the pastries were his favorite.

They had walked up and down a few cars, making idle chitchat, and stopping every now and then into someone's compartment to say hello. Currently, they were being held against their will in a compartment with whom Hermione had dubbed "Bott's Brains", as she really did believe their brains were the size of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Hermione could only snicker at this, interrupting a story Lavender was telling, and receiving nasty glares from the girls in the compartment.

Her mind wandered towards Harry as Pavarti explained her latest hair styling technique, aimed directly at Hermione. Hermione knew that Harry was mourning in his own way, but couldn't he have been more weepy about it? He'd blocked himself off from the world, and that was the last thing he needed right now. Hermione knew that when push comes to shove Harry would eventually snap from keeping his emotions bottled up so tightly. Standing rather quickly, and startling those around her, Hermione excused herself and set on a hunt for Harry.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone," Harry glared as Hermione fell into the seat opposite him. She cocked her head to the side, brown eyes studying Harry as best she could without turning as red as a tomato.

"I'm sure you know me better than that," Hermione sighed, eyes never leaving Harry. "Why'd you punch Fletcher?"

"I had momentum," Harry answered, not bothering to look at her.

Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes heavenward at that. Typical boy answer. Sighing, she leaned back in the seat, crossed her arms against her chest, and studied Harry. His hair had grown somewhat, falling into dark green eyes. His face had lost all touches of childhood, and jutted out in handsome looking sharp angles. As with all maturing young men he'd started to grow facial hair, and Hermione wondered what it'd feel like pressed against her cheek.

"Norman Bates, will you knock it off already?" Harry snapped, obviously having noticed Hermione's intense staring. A small smile tugged at Hermione's lips as she took in Harry's somewhat flustered appearance.

"If I'm Norman," She grinned. "Who does that make you? Marion Crane?"

"So, you've caught me," Harry smirked, hands held up in surrender. "I'm really the reincarnation of Marion Crane inside an adolescent boy, fighting to get out. Did you know I dress drag, too?"

Laughter bubbled in Hermione's mouth and for the first time in along time she felt herself relaxing, her guard going down. Here he was. Maybe not exactly as she left him, but here was her Harry.

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"Clouds" - Hole

Rows and flows of angel hair

And ice-cream castles in the air

And feather canyons everywhere

I've looked at clouds that way

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels

The dizzy dancing way you feel

As every fairy tale comes real

I've looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun

They rain and snow on everyone

So, so many things I could've done

But clouds

…

I've looked at clouds from both sides now

From up and down, and still somehow

It's just illusions I recall

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Just a quick reminder that a review would be nice, and encourage me to continue this. Thank you.


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